Posts Tagged ‘Disruptive Technology’
The Responsive City: Open Data
November 10, 2014
Last week I went to a presentation at the City Club of Cleveland by Susan Crawford from the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society. She is the author of The Responsive City: Engaging Communities Through Data-Smart Governance. Just a couple of gems from her presentation:
She sees 3 layers – Fiber, Sensors and Screens. That is, a layer of fiber as the backbone of the digital city, sensors everywhere to collect data about the city and screens to visualize data in ways that are meaningful for decision makers and citizens
- “Data on the walls of the city” – again, making data available everywhere to improve the life in the city. This brought to mind the opening of Fulton Center in New York City – the transportation hub which has screens everywhere.
Worth following this topic and read her book.
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Research ShowCASE
April 22, 2014
Case Western Reserve University has an annual research day called Research ShowCase. I was privileged to be on the Program Board, chaired by Pete Zimmerman, Ph.D. Being both a former poster presenter and an Case alumni, made the event more meaningful. The event included hundreds of posters from post-docs, graduate students, undergrads and even high school students. The event had coverage by the Plain Dealer on this past Sunday including a slide show.
Robotics was a big hit as usual, but at Case, they are now experimenting with Biologically Inspired Robotics. See the video:
Biologically Inspired Unmanned Ground Vehicles from CWRU Biorobotics Lab on Vimeo.
Other interesting exhibits included:
- Research Computing which is developing a high performance cluster for everything from medical imaging to metallurgy and astronomy.
- A Digital Health Management Consultant: Markov Models Made Accessible - making these complex statistical models simple, with a nice demo using health financial data.
- The Center for Statistical Research, Computing, and Collaboration with an emphasis on innovative interdisciplinary research.
Looking forward to working on next year’s showcase.
Glass in Medicine – Why There is Promise
August 19, 2013
In an interview on GlassStories, Kyle Samani gives the most cogent discussion of the pros and cons of Glass. He emphasizes that there is a cost to glass – not just financial but the fact that you have to wear them all the time while you have a fully functional smart phone in your pocket. So he sees limitations to the appeal to general consumers other than the geek coolness. However, on the enterprise side, especially in medicine, he sees real use cases. Specifically,
- physicians (and other healthcare providers) need their hands to work whether it is surgery or a physical exam
- physicians (and other healthcare providers) are mobile whether moving from one exam or hospital room to the next or traveling between care sites
- physicians (and other healthcare providers) are constantly interacting with people, either patients or colleagues
- physicians (and other healthcare providers) need to look things up, communicate with others
- physicians (and other healthcare providers) need to have clean hands – handling a mobile phone means transmitting germs, they need to wash their hands after each use even if they are using their mobile device at the bedside. The hands free commands in Glass enable them to avoid this
- he also thinks the privacy concerns are exaggerated – less deceptive than a mobile phone
Watch the full video interview.
Update on the Internet of Things and Google Glass
July 29, 2013
Since there already is a convergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable computing like Glass, I am combining updates on these.
Recently I came across Sen.se, a platform of IoT but includes data from humans as part of their open platform. They refuse the label of IoT:
“We rather believe in an Internet of Everything where Humans, Nature, Machines, Objects, Environments, Information, Physical and Virtual spaces all mix up, talk, intertwine, interact, enrich and empower each other in all sorts of ways. This is what we are building and we think that we are not alone.”
They are currently in beta and are inviting a limited number of users to the free platform. They also have a blog which is worth watching. Those in the Quantified Health community might check this out as an extension of human data with device and environmental data.
Second, I wanted to call attention to ReShape with Glass, an initiative by the ReShape Innovation Center at Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Already a healthcare innovation hub, ReShape will be on the cutting edge of healthcare uses for Glass. Follow them on Google+ .
Finally, I wanted to toot my own horn and mention my listing with some good friends as Best Healthcare IT Blogs . This is a nice addition to my status as one of the 10 healthcare IT professionals you should follow on Twitter.
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The Internet of Things Creeps into Healthcare
July 19, 2013
This post originally appeared on Health Works Collective.
One of the hottest trends in technology today is the Internet of Things or IoT. IoT was recently featured on the cover of Wired magazine for an article titled, “Awake: Welcome to the Programmable World.” The article begins, “When the objects around us can talk to each other, the elements of our physical universe converge and spring to life.” (Wired, June 2013 ).
The authors point out three stages for the IoT:
1) There need to be more devices on the network, everything from sensors to devices with embedded wireless.
2) The devices must coordinate with each other without human intervention.
3) Connected devices become ubiquitous, a programmable platform.
So is this just a techie dream born out of science fiction? And what is its relevance to healthcare?
There are several ways that hospitals are already part of the IoT. One big advance is smart IV pumps and their impact on patient safety. Not only can doses be preset, but the pumps can communicate with electronic medication administration records (eMAR) and bar code technology making them intelligent infusion devices. The use of robotics in hospitals continues to grow. Robotic-assisted surgery isbecoming widespread if not controversial . Other uses of robots include, “packaging drugs or delivering lab results, and telemedicine-based technologies that connect clinicians and patients in ways that previously didn’t exist”. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is being used to track assets, such as, IV pumps, which can be difficult to find in a busy hospital or even hoarded. Others are using RFID to track medications administered to patients.
Another trend is the use of unique imaging technology, such as, Wireless Capsule Endoscopy, or camera in a pill, where the patient swallows this device and it moves through the GI track taking pictures as an alternative to the tube-based endoscope. (image at right from GIHealth)
It is only a matter of time, as these technologies mature and become ubiquitous, that these devices will begin to talk to each other and inform care throughout the hospital.
At the same time, the IoT is available to patients. The Quantified Self movement believes in monitoring many body functions from blood pressure to sleep and more. This is becoming fertile ground for innovation and startups are offering more consumer devices every week. One recent example is the Scanadu Scout that allows you to quickly check your vital signs by placing the device on your temple. (image below from Scanadu) David Pogue of the New York Times wrote a review of many devices which promote health from companies like FitBit, Nike, Jawbone and Flex. But he also critiques them for lack of Bluetooth connectivity in some cases or less than adequate user interfaces.
It is still early in the development of personal health devices for them to talk to each other or to larger systems through the Internet. In the area of telehealth, there are many devices and systems providing home monitoring of the chronically ill. These can provide an alternative to frequent clinic visits or visits by home health services when the data is reliably sent to the provider and algorithms are available to flag warning signs. The Veterans Administration is moving forward with an extensive program of telehealth to serve veterans everywhere.
Finally, there is the rare startup that is focusing just on the IoT. One company out of Cleveland has even taken on that name, iOTOS. They have developed hardware, a wireless device, which can be imbedded in all kinds of devices which is tightly integrated with their proprietary software platform. iOTOS is just beginning to look at healthcare applications of the device/software from diagnostics to home monitoring. Because it is cloud-based, the devices can display data through mobile devices. (image below from iOTOS)
In conclusion, the Internet of Things is creeping into healthcare, almost unnoticed. But the ubiquitous nature of IoT makes it self almost invisible to humans. Both in hospitals and at home, the possibilities are endless. Although we are early in the maturity of this technology as noted by the Wired article, we will soon connected devices become ubiquitous, a programmable platform, with medical devices talking to each other while improving care provision and our personal health.
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Further Thoughts on Google Glass
July 10, 2013
Here are some major advantages:
- hands free browsing and video/photos
- lightweight and minimally intrusive
- can look at someone while browsing or during a hangout rather than looking down at a cell phone
- many possibilities for uses in healthcare and medicine – see this article from iMedicalApps. One additional thought – how about physicians receiving alerts on their patients’ lab results via Glass
- camera quality is excellent
Some downsides or challenges for developers to fix:
- dependent on open wireless networks or activating your phone as a personal hotspot ($$$$$)
- messages, searches and alerts limited to short text – considering the scale of the device, not sure how much more we can expect. If there is something that requires more detailed attention, we are at least alerted and can view it on a laptop
- especially in healthcare, privacy concerns since one can take an image of anyone without their permission. Maybe the device should have a small light indicating that a recording or photo is being taken
- If you are close to someone who also has Glass, their device might follow your verbal commands, “OK, Glass”. This actually occurred during my orientation
- Availability of prescription Glass
Most of these are easy to solve. The challenge is using this new technology in healthcare, developing apps, use cases and broader adoption.
Share this:Google Glass – Day 3 – Future Applications for Healthcare
July 9, 2013
On day 3, I brought Glass to work and introduced it to my staff and others at the hospital. Unfortunately, I could not connect to the internet thru Glass. The private wireless network did not allow a connection from the device and the public network requires browser authentication (like many airports and hotels) which is not possible in Glass. So the main demo was videos and photos I had already taken and demonstrating how to take photos and videos or having Glass read aloud alerts, such as, those from the New York Times.
So what applications are there for medicine and healthcare for this device? Already there are many ideas coming forward:
- “Google Glass makes some people uneasy, but a medical app that tells folks how to perform CPR not only could save lives, but also highlights what’s so awesome about our connected, sensor-rich future.”
- Google Glass Invades Social Media With #ThroughGlass
- Chloe Glass – a simulator wearing Glass to evaluate medical practice in training
- Use of Glass in surgery
- How Google Glass Is Changing Medical Education
- Glass on hospital rounds
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Google Glass – Day 2
July 9, 2013
Day 2 was spent at home trying it out on my home network and showing it to neighbors. I was becoming more comfortable with using and wearing it. The hands-free aspect of Glass does have a freeing sense.
Sunday I discovered that a flood of NY Times alerts came through. Fortunately, Glass with read them to you if you like (headlines only). Also tried a Google search which resulted in a Wikipedia entry for some (first line) which was more or less relevant to my request. Since I don’t routinely use Siri or Google Voice, my proficiency with voice to text was lacking but this is something that could improve with practice.
Also attempted a video call to Lucien Engelen in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, it was choppy and the screen froze for both of us at times. Not sure if that was Glass, as I moved around the house trying to maintain the wireless connection or the speed of my wireless network or the international connection. Another item which would require more trial and error, common with adopting new technology.
Someone pointed me to this video by Sergey Brin at TED which starts with the intro to Glass and then his statements of the purpose of Glass – to move us away from staring down at our phones and again facing our fellow human beings while staying connected to the world. Interesting concept. Would like to see some human factor researchers do a test of highly connected people using a mobile phone vs. Glass.
Two examples of videos taken Saturday in NYC
These 20 second videos are easy to do with a voice command.
More tomorrow on potential applications in healthcare.
Google Glass – Day 1
July 7, 2013
Guest tag for Glass
Today I went
to Google New York to pick up Google Glass. I arrived at Chelsea Market in southern Manhattan. On the 8th floor is the headquarters for Glass on the east coast. We were issued guest tags The setting is loft-like with a small bar (we were offer drinks) and sat at one of several tall tables on stools with a mirror.
After an extensive orientation, I was ready to try them on my own.
Right next to the Chelsea Market is the Highline. Tired out photos and video which both worked well.
Highline
As I was warned that unless you are connected through the MyGlass website to an available wireless network or an open network that does not require authentication. The other alternatives is to connect through your phone’s bluetooth or better yet, enable your phone as a wireless hotspot, but that is an additional cost.
Later in the day, I was in Grand Central Station and took photos and videos from the balcony, aka, Apple Store.
Grand Central
Conclusion from Day 1 – There is a learning curve for Glass. managing the menu and voice commands. Learning to share photos is pretty straightforward. Adding apps like The New York Times can add a lot of content. Finding Twitter and Facebook deep in the menu can be a challenge. And remember, sharing photos or messaging are through Google+. Also, the Glass app is for Android devices only right now. So between the learning curve and the dependence on Google Apps means a change in orientation compared to managing apps through an iPhone. But the process is still interesting.
Does Glass have uses within healthcare? a growing number of users think so but it is up to the first 8000 Glass Explorers to determine its usefulness and prove that it is more than a toy.
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Healthcare IT professionals you should follow on Twitter
June 4, 2013
There are actually many people to follow in this category but I was privileged to be first on this list by MedCityNews last week. Also, it put me in some good company, most of whom I already follow, such as, @jhalamka and the infamous @histalk.
This made me think of writing a brief post about how I use Twitter. I was an early adopter of Twitter starting just before attending Medicine 2.0 in Toronto in 2007. Meeting an energetic group from the US and Europe who were live tweeting at the conference got me hooked.
Now I have 5500 followers from Europe to Australia and follow about 1100. I post 3-6 times per day and more often at conferences. My focus in tweeting is health IT, health care social media, mHealth and apps, innovation in healthcare, conferences I attend, articles I read (newsletters and journals) and some notable Cleveland Clinic news. I try to share quality information and almost always include links. I use my favorite hash tags #hcsm, #mhealth, #HIMSS, #EMR. Have not gotten into the habit of using #HealthIT or #HITsm yet.
I also promote some of my favorite people, such as, @berci, @healthythinker, @lucienengelen, @nicolaziady, @ReginaHolliday,@ahier and many others.
Overall, I try to provide quality information that I think is important and not get bogged down in criticizing others or off-color remarks.
I hope I can continue to earn the respect of the wild world of Twitterland. See you there.
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